"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" was No. 1 at the box office this weekend. / Marvel

by Scott Bowles, USA TODAY

by Scott Bowles, USA TODAY

Captain America: The Winter Soldier sprang to the largest April debut on record, decimating box-office competition and giving the first weekend of April a summer-like jolt.

Soldier thundered to $96.2 million, according to studio estimates from box-office tracker Rentrak.

The debut met most analysts' lofty expectations and eclipsed 2011's Fast Five, which bowed to $86 million in the last weekend of April, typically Hollywood's unofficial opening weekend of summer.

"Disney ran another Marvel movie up the flagpole," says David Mumpower, analyst for Box Office Prophets. "And the entirety of North America saluted."

The debut helped the industry keep its torrid ticket-sales pace, which is running about 10% ahead of sales through the same period last year.

Ray Subers, analyst for Box Office Mojo, says that Captain America is the latest superhero to thrive in the wake of the comic-book ensemble The Avengers, which collected $623 million in 2012.

Soldier, like last year's Thor: The Dark World ($206 million) and Iron Man 3 ($409 million), was seen as a continuing tale of the all-star team, not a sequel to the superhero's individual story, says Subers.

"The performance ... indicates that the 'Avengers bump' is a real thing," Subers says.

Critics helped with the bump. About 89% of reviewers recommended the film, while 95% of fans said they enjoyed it, says survey site Rotten Tomatoes. The film earned an A from audiences, according to online pollsters CinemaScore.

The elite status didn't leave much room for foes at theaters. No other major film opened against Soldier, which made quick work of holdovers.

The biblical tale Noah was second with $17 million, bringing its 10-day total to $72.3 million.

The teen fantasy adaptation Divergent captured third with $13 million, followed by God's Not Dead with $7.7 million. The comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel rounded out the top five with $6.3 million.

Final figures are expected Monday.

Soldier delivered "something that neither of the two most recent blockbusters, Divergent and Noah, could claim: It is the first true action blockbuster of 2014," Mumpower says. "Consider this movie mission accomplished."